


A Special Gift

by flyppa



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Fluff, Gift Fic, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-11
Updated: 2017-01-11
Packaged: 2018-09-16 21:50:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,924
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9291053
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/flyppa/pseuds/flyppa
Summary: After agreeing to spend Saturnalia in Tevinter that year, Oscar is looking for a special gift for Dorian.A rather late gift fic for hinotoriii





	

**Author's Note:**

  * For [hinotoriii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/hinotoriii/gifts).



> So... uh... Merry Christmas! Even though it's now the 11th of January. I'm aware that this might be a little disjointed in places because a lot of the time it was being written in sections at stupid times of the morning waiting for my shift to start, but I was getting to the stage where the more I looked at it the more I was starting to hate it - so enjoy! :D

Saturnalia in Tevinter was a strange thing for Oscar. For starters, the weather was incredibly different to what Oscar was used to. At home in the Free Marches -- on the Trevelyan estate  _ and _ in the Ostwick Circle -- the weather had always been cold and it had always been dark in the evenings. Tevinter weather at this time of year was the opposite -- it was hot, and it was still light late into the evenings and the night.

Dorian was in the middle of making an incredibly important deal with a few of the key players in the magisterium and had found himself unable to leave Tevinter to visit the Free Marches for the festivities, so Oscar had decided that he would just go to Tevinter instead to see the man who was his lover, and he would take his -- _ their _ \-- daughter along with him so that they could all spend some quality time together.

That afternoon, Oscar and Mae were roaming one of the many markets in Minrathous, searching for something that he could give Dorian as an extra gift, seeing as he had already settled on buying some jewellery for the other man. Oscar had toyed with the idea of buying the other mage some more books -- but everyone who knew Dorian was likely to get him books, so he had decided to abandon that idea.

Due to Oscar’s position with the Inquisition and the fact that Tevinter wasn’t the safest of places to roam in general, Dorian had sent Ellana out with Oscar and Mae, somehow managing to get her to agree to leave his side for a few hours. Considering the lengths that Ellana went to when ensuring Dorian’s safety, Oscar wouldn’t be surprised if she was experiencing some sort of separation anxiety -- though he also knew that Ellana would probably have the exact same feeling if he and Mae had gone to the market without anyone to protect them.

There was also the upside that Ellana knew Dorian possibly as well as Oscar -- if not marginally better -- due to the fact that she has bodyguard and spent almost every moment of her day (and possibly night) within his company. Ellana had been a good friend to both of them when working within the Inquisition, and due to the detailed records that Leliana kept on her scouts, Oscar knew how efficient and hard-working the elven woman was.

“You could always give him yourself,” Ellana suggested. “Laying naked on his bed with just a bow wrapped around your --”

“ _ Ellana _ .” Oscar stated, a warning seeing as Mae was in their company, and this was not a conversation to have in front of a small child -- no matter how distracted by a nearby flower stand Mae seemed to be. “That’s almost exactly the same thing you suggested to Dorian for my birthday last year.”

“And it worked, didn’t it?” Ellana asked, grinning wickedly.

Oscar narrowed his eyes at Ellana, hoping that his annoyance diverted the attention away from the blush that was creeping up his neck. Clearly Oscar needed to find out how much Dorian actually told Ellana about their relationship -- and considering that she was his best friend and his bodyguard, Oscar got the feeling that it was probably everything. “There are children around, Ellana.”

Ellana didn’t bother replying to Oscar, and instead went down to one knee on the ground so that she was on the same level as Mae. “What do you think your father should get your  _ pater _ for Christmas?”

“I think…” Mae scrunched up her face, the typical expression of a child who was deep in thought. “I think he should get him something that means a lot to  _ pater _ . Something special.”

Ellana’s expression turned amused as she ruffled Mae’s hair and stood up, which Dorian had spent  _ ages _ braiding that morning, and was probably going to be annoyed about when they returned home. “That’s really helpful, Mae. Something special for your  _ pater _ .”

For Oscar, that… really was not helpful in the slightest, even though it was rather cute that Mae had looked so thoughtful and  _ that  _ was what she had been able to come up with. It made a change though, because often whenever Mae looked so thoughtful Oscar ended up dreading what was going to come out of her mouth, such as that time when she had asked him about the birds and the bees.

“So because we’re looking for something special for  _ pater _ ,” Mae started to say, as she screwed up her face in thought again. “Are you getting Cullen something special for Saturnalia, Ellana?”

Oscar felt a smile appear on his face, because at least the minorly embarrassing question wasn’t directed at him, for once. It was probably Ellana’s turn by now, anyway, especially when it came to the topic of her and Cullen. As far as Oscar knew, there was something that was going on between the two of them… and that something was a really poorly kept secret as far as their close friends were concerned, because Oscar had been there to witness Cullen’s face light up whenever Ellana had entered a room, even if it had just been to deliver a scout report.

Ellana’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, before she managed to compose her features again. “I don’t know yet. Has he said anything to you about getting me a gift?”

“He’s getting something for you because he likes you.” Mae stated, a big smile appearing on her face. “When we were still in Kirkwall he kept asking father what you might want.”

“Did he really?” Ellana asked, her gaze now turned on Oscar, and he couldn’t help but notice the blush rising on her cheeks. It was one of those rare moments when Ellana managed to look quite innocent and girlish -- not that Oscar would fall for it, because he had seen her slit a man’s throat with no hesitation. Oscar understood that Ellana and Cullen tried to keep their relationship under wraps because of Ellana’s line of work and the physical distance between the two of them… but Maker, it really was obvious to anyone who knew them.

Oscar folded his arms and tried to contain a smirk. “Perhaps I’ll tell you, if you help me find the perfect gift for Dorian.”

“We can find the perfect gift for Dorian, trust me.” Ellana said, nodding. Worryingly, she had that same look in her eye that she got whenever Dorian or Maevaris asked her to go and investigate any of their possible enemies. “And I’ll even let you have all the credit for it.”

“How kind of you.”

“What can I say?” Ellana asked, smiling as Mae took hold of her hand, to drag her away to look at a stand selling fancy dolls. “I’m just a generous person.”

Oscar didn’t mean to start laughing so much. Honest, he didn’t.

***

“Are you… definitely sure that none of those are breakable?” Dorian asked, watching tensely as Ellana picked up another gift box and  _ shook it _ violently next to her ear.

“If they are, we’ll just send them back.” Ellana reasoned, setting the box down on the table before pulling a dagger from her belt. “If you don’t want the surprise spoilt, then I suggest you look away now.”

Dorian snorted, half in disdain and half in amusement, before he turned on his heel and left the study. For the past few days, Saturnalia gifts had been flooding in from various magisters who wanted to be on good terms with Dorian, estranged family members who suddenly decided they wanted to know him again, etc., etc. Due to the fact that she was his personal bodyguard, Ellana had decided to regard every gift with intense suspicion, and insisted upon inspecting every single one to make sure that none of them would bring harm to Dorian.

In the hallway, Dorian bumped into Oscar and Mae -- who both suddenly went  _ very _ quiet when he appeared from around the corner. Dorian eyed the two of them suspiciously -- Oscar’s emotions were often written all over his face, and at that moment in time he looked incredibly guilty, whilst Mae looked like she was trying too hard to appear sweet and innocent.

Dorian narrowed his eyes, regarding Oscar and Mae very carefully. “What are you two up to?”

“Nothing.” Oscar answered rather abruptly.

Dorian arched an eyebrow. “It doesn’t look like nothing.”

“We were trying to think of a place to hide your present,  _ pater _ .” Mae said gleefully.

Standing behind their daughter, Oscar put his head in his hands out of despair.

Dorian couldn’t help but smile -- both at Oscar’s reaction, and the innocence of Mae’s statement. Both he and Oscar had been slightly worried about how Mae would feel about Saturnalia, considering the loss of her family at such a young age. She seemed to be enjoying the festivities and spending the celebration with her new family though, which was a good sign.

There was a crashing sound and a few choice cuss words from the study that dragged Dorian away from his musings. He and Oscar both shared a similar alarmed expression, before they both hurried in the direction of the study, Oscar telling Mae that she was to stay behind him until they knew what was going on.

Upon entering the study, Dorian was greeted by the sight of Ellana on her stomach  _ under _ the desk, with her hands thrown over her head to protect herself. On the top of the desk, there was… well,  _ something _ that looked to be charred and smoking. It was impossible for Dorian to make out what the object actually was -- or perhaps had been, seeing as he doubted it had always been in such a state.

“What’s that?” Mae asked, peering around Oscar’s legs at the smoking object on the desk.

“A gift,” Ellana offered as an explanation, crawling out from under the desk on her belly. “From House Erimond.”

Oscar raised his eyebrows at the object, before he turned his gaze to Dorian. “Holding a grudge, are they?”

“Always have done,” Dorian answered, a hint of distaste to his tone. “Even before that nasty business with Livius and the wardens.”

Ellana pushed herself up onto her feet, tucking a few loose strands of hair back behind one of her pointed ears. “You know, we should thank them for their gift, Dorian. It would be the polite thing to do.”

Dorian got the feeling that whatever ‘thank you’ Ellana was planning on sending to House Erimond would be far from polite -- and well, he couldn’t deny the fact that he was up for a little bit of revenge. Nothing to cause too much harm, just something to let House Erimond know that their ‘gift’ had been received and was unappreciated. “Well, they did go to all of that trouble. I’m sure they would like their efforts to be recognised.”

Mae scrunched up her nose in confusion. “Did Ellana break it because she was shaking your presents again,  _ pater _ ?”

“I suppose you could say that,” Dorian said. After this small mishap, Dorian was half expecting to find Ellana shaking everything in the damned house to make sure that it wasn’t rigged with any sorts of nasty surprises. “Which is why I’m sure that Ellana will do her very best to get this sorted out.”

“Of course I will.” Ellana said. Despite the fact that she was smiling, there was a slight edge to her voice which implied that House Erimond were going to be made very sorry within the next few days.

***

At last, the final day of Saturnalia had arrived, which was a day spent feasting with relatives and exchanging gifts. Oscar couldn’t remember the last time he had been part of such extravagant festivities -- Maevaris had hosted a grand lunch at her estate in Minrathous which they had all been invited to. It had been early evening when the party had ended, and the group had returned to Dorian’s house.

Now later in the evening, most of the festivities had died down. Oscar and Dorian were sat in the lounge together, watching as Mae sat cross-legged on the other side of the room with Ellana, playing with her new dollhouse. For the past hour or so, Mae had been insistent that she wasn’t tired, and so Oscar had allowed her to stay up later than usual considering that it was a special occasion.

“Sometimes I wonder if we should be alarmed that our daughter gets on so well with trained killers.” Oscar said, watching as Mae and Ellana interacted.

Ellana was chatting very intently to Mae, being a full participant in her game with the dolls house despite that it was likely there were other things that she would rather be doing. Sometimes though, Oscar would notice her attention slip away, when it was instead drawn to the chain that she now wore around her neck, and the lion crest that was attached to it. Cullen had been unable to travel to Tevinter for Saturnalia, but he had sent Ellana what looked to be an incredibly long letter, and inside the envelope had been the pendant. Secret relationship indeed.

“Possibly,” Dorian answered. “I sense that Mae’s potential future suitors will have to be more fearful of Ellana than the two of us.”

“Dorian, I’m fairly sure that everyone is more fearful of Ellana than they are me and you,” Oscar said, smiling. “Especially after your birthday, when that assassin came for you and she  _ dived _ out of the window after them in the world’s most elaborate ball gown.”

Dorian chuckled at the memory -- not that it had been funny at the time, because he had been  _ furious _ about someone having the nerve to attack him, and the fact that Ellana’s dress had cost a  _ fortune _ and had been all tatty and filthy when she had returned with the unconscious assassin slung over the back of a horse that she had… borrowed. “I remember the look of fear on your face when Mae turned to you and said that she wanted to be just like Ellana when she grew up.”

Oscar huffed in amusement. “I remember you trying to explain what had happened to Mae when we were putting her to bed.”

“I remember deciding to read her fairy tales as a distraction, at which point she asked me if Ellana was dressed in rags when she came back because the clock had struck twelve.” Dorian said. Despite how he would have loved Mae no matter what anyway, Dorian had been so pleased when their daughter had shared his love of books. “It’s been so long since I’ve read to Mae at bedtime, that perhaps I’ll try to while she’s here.”

“Mae misses you a lot.” Oscar said after a moment of silence. It wasn’t to make Dorian feel guilty, because Oscar knew how important Dorian’s homeland was to him. It was just to remind Dorian that he was loved by his family. “And I do too. It’s nice that we could all spend Saturnalia together.”

“Why don’t you stay a while?” Dorian asked, reaching across the arm of his chair so that he could take Oscar’s hand. It was something that he had been thinking about for a long time, since he and Oscar had made the arrangements to spend Saturnalia together. “Not forever, of course, because you and Mae have a life back in Kirkwall... but just for a little while.”

For a moment, Oscar stared at Dorian, as though he was trying to process the other man’s words, before a smile broke on his face. “We would both like that, very much.”

“Good,” Dorian said, returning Oscar’s smile. “Though it does mean that our daughter will be spending even more time with Ellana. Perhaps I should assign a chaperone to them.”

“Oh please, you know that they would manage to loose that chaperone within minutes.” Oscar said, rising from his chair and smiling. “Anyway, whilst Mae is distracted with Ellana, come with me. I’ve got a little something for you.”

Dorian looked up at the other man and raised his eyebrows playfully. “Is this going where I think it is?”

Oscar was still smiling, though he did roll his eyes. “No, it’s not that. Were not going to be long enough for that.”

“You do realise that whilst we’re gone Ellana will probably be demonstrating the best way to gut a man on one of Mae’s new dolls, don’t you?” Dorian asked, shaking his head as he rose from his chair to follow Oscar.

“Perhaps Mae will be able to strike fear into the heart of any future suitors herself,” Oscar commented, referring back to the conversation they had been having a few moments ago before he pushed himself up from his chair.

Oscar and Dorian made their way towards the doorway that led onto the balcony. Ellana and Mae seemingly paid no attention, but Oscar knew that Dorian’s bodyguard would be watching intensely as to where he went, even if Oscar was no threat to him. It was more out of habit than anything else, and it made Oscar worry slightly less about the other man in Tevinter on his own when he knew that Ellana was watching his back.

The balcony looked over the city of Minrathous, with just enough distance between Dorian’s estate and the city that the constant noise was of no concern for him. Due to it being Saturnalia, the city was still lit up and the festivities were still going strong -- despite the distance, Oscar was able to make out the sound of music travelling to them on the wind. Even though Oscar had been out of the Ostwick circle for several years now, he still treasured these moments where he truly felt his freedom as a mage.

“It’s been a tough year,” Oscar said, leaning against the balcony railing and looking out over the city lights in the distance. “For both of us.”

“Moreso for you than me,” Dorian said, standing beside Oscar. He turned to smile at the other man, and reached out for his hand. “But we’re getting through it, even if it is just one day at a time. It’s better than nothing.”

Oscar returned Dorian’s smile and squeezed his fingers. “Slow and steady wins the race, apparently.”

“I never should have read that story to Mae,” Dorian said, shaking his head and sighing fondly. “Every time now that she sees me getting the  _ tiniest _ bit frustrated if I’m working that’s all she quotes at me -- and now you’re doing it too.”

“Our daughter is very wise, it would seem.”

“Can’t take after you then, can she?”

“Oi,” Oscar said, smiling as he pulled his hand away from Dorian’s. “I’m trying to be nice to you and give you your present, but if you’re going to give me that attitude I won’t.”

“Okay, okay, I apologise.” Dorian said, reaching out to take Oscar’s hand again so that he could press a kiss to the other man’s knuckles. “I can’t wait to see what this mystery gift is, seeing as I’ve been waiting all day for it to appear.”

“At least you’ve shown more patience than you did on your birthday.” Oscar said, pulling his hand away once again so that he could reach into his pocket.

Dorian folded his arms, managing to look incredibly smug. “What can I say? I’ve had a lot of time to grow and mature.”

“I hope you know that you’re a pain to buy for, by the way.” Oscar teased, pulling a small black velvet pouch from his pocket. “Once I ruled out books and fashion -- because that’s what everyone else would be getting you -- there wasn’t really much left.”

“I’m sure we had this exact same conversation on my birthday, before Mae gifted me some sort of hideous plant.”

“Which came in very useful when that assassin attacked you in the gardens,” Oscar reminded Dorian, holding the pouch out to him. “I’ve never seen anyone use a plant as a weapon before, but Ellana sure made it work.”

Dorian eyed the pouch, before he looked up at Oscar again. “Is it more jewellery?”

“Of a sort, I suppose.” Oscar answered, having already gifted a set of bangles with onyx stones set in them earlier that day.

As Dorian went to undo the drawstrings of the pouch, he felt it  _ move _ and glared at Oscar. “Is this something that I should have Ellana here for?”

“Don’t worry, I had it all vetted by Ellana before I gave it to you to prevent any kind of destructive incidents happening in your best interests.”

“Now I’m worried as to what this could possibly be.” Dorian commented, opening the pouch and turning it upside down so that he could tip the contents onto his hand.

Sitting in the centre of Dorian’s palm was a miniature dragon, cut from an amethyst and enchanted to be… well,  _ alive _ , or so it looked. It stared up at Dorian for a moment, before it blew a tiny puff of smoke from it’s nostrils and curled up on his hand.

Dorian stared in wonder at the -- was it a creature? -- as it sat in the middle of his palm. Although the dragon was small, it must have been an incredibly powerful enchantment, and Dorian wondered if it had similar origins to necromancy, to be able to animate an inanimate object. “Where in all of Thedas did you find this?”

“That stall in the market that you like,” Oscar answered. That day with Ellana and Mae, he had wandered around for hours until they had come across it, tucked away in a corner, and Oscar had remembered Dorian speaking about it once in Skyhold, when he had been talking about the things he missed about his home. “The one with the glass flowers. I wanted to get you something special because of how hard this year has been for us… and how it’s been easier with you than it would’ve been if I was alone.”

“Amatus, you don’t have to thank me for… well, loving you.”

“I wanted to,” Oscar said, smiling at Dorian. “No matter how hard I’ve probably made it to since… well, since Fen’Harel.”

“I honestly don’t know what else to say,” Dorian said, looking down at the napping dragon in his palm. “I mean, I have plenty of things that I  _ can _ say, but I’m not sure most of them are appropriate for this exact moment in time.”

“Dorian, you don’t have to say anything.” Oscar said, smiling as he slipped his arm around the other man’s waist. “Just seeing your reaction is enough for me.”

Dorian’s hand that wasn’t holding the slumbering crystal dragon found it’s way around Oscar’s shoulders, and he pressed a kiss to the side of the other man’s head. “I’ll simply just say thank you, shall I?”

“That works for me,” Oscar said, lowering his head to rest on Dorian’s shoulder. “Mae is going to be so happy that you like it -- and that you actually know about it. Do you have any idea how hard it was trying to get her not to keep quiet for so long?”

“I’m sure I’ll find out when your birthday comes around,” Dorian answered. “Seeing as I’m somehow going to have to top this.”

“Tch, good luck with that.” Oscar said. “I’m the master of buying gifts.”

“Well, I’m just going to have to prove you wrong, aren’t I?”

“I’m looking forward to it.”


End file.
